Lance Mackey

Biography

Alaska born and raised, Lance Mackey, 48, grew up with dogs and Iditarod. He started his current kennel in Kasilof, Alaska, in 1999 and entered his first Iditarod in 2001, finishing 36th. He spent all of 2002 and 2003 recovering from stage four throat cancer, and returned to Iditarod in 2004 where he traveled the entire trail with his younger brother and two puppy teams. In 2005, he entered both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod, racing both form 2005 – 2009, and winning each four years in a row (and winning both back to back in 2007 and 2008.) Since 2011, he says, “My race record has been and not much fun; my last Iditarod was in 2016. It ended in Galena, and I haven’t been the same since. So for me, 2019 is about having fun, enjoying the checkpoints and the people of our state and its sport, about my dogs, fans, sponsors, friends and my family. More than anything, I’m doing the 2019 Iditarod ‘because I can!’” Lance is a member of Mush with PRIDE, North Pole Speedway and Alaska Race Way Park. He says his hobbies are car racing, fishing, and anything outside. He is the father of three: one adult daughter, Alana, Atigun 2 ½ and Lozen, 5 months.